Coupling.



0. P. M. SQUIRES.

COUPLING.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 13, 1909. 1,050,308, Patented Jan.14,1913.

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WM 97] I it0r7250 OLIVER P. M. SQUIRES, OF LAPORTE, INDIANA.

COUPLING.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14., 1913.

Application filed September 13, 1909. Serial No. 517,406.

I '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, OLIVER P. M. S UIRES, acitizen of the United States, residing at Laporte, in the county ofLaporte and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to couplings and is illustrated in connection witha railroad car in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a planview of a car equipped with such coupling; Fig. 2 is an end elevation;Fig. 3 a longitudinal section through the coupling; Fig. 4: a transversesection on the line 4l of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 a longitudinal section showingthe coupling in operation.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.

The car A having the platform A has attached to it the rigid bar B andthe coupling G, which comprises the truncated conical shell C having atone end the cap C provided with the hole C therethrough, the slots C*and the rearwardly extending shank C The balls D are movably supportedin the shell by means of the ball cage D vwhich consists of the plates Dand connecting bars I) and has therethrough the holes I) and is providedwith the protruding lugs D which travel in the slots 0* in the shell CThe ball cage is normally kept in contact with the cap C at the smallerend of the casing by means of the spring E. The bar F supported by thebearings F has the handles F and arms F adapted? to engage the lugs D Ihave shown the rigid bar B provided with an enlargement B It will beobvious however that this may be dispensed with if it seems desirable soto do.

I have shown an operative device but I do not wish to be limited to theprecise form, construction and arrangement shown, since they may begreatly altered without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows: The balls D areheld in adjustment in the conical shell by means of the ball cage D Thiscage is provided with the lugs D by means of which the cage may beretracted from the small end of the casing against the pressure of thespring E. The opening C in the cap allows passage to the Copies of thispatent may be obtained for bar B or any other part which is to be held.This bar forces the balls back in the tapering shell until a point isreached at which the bar is enabled to penetrate between the balls.lVhen this is done the bar is allowed to slide on through for a shortdistance, the balls no longer being forced back by it. As soon astension is exerted upon the bar B the balls are carried by the frictionwith the bar down into the tapering portion of the case. The result ofthis is to wedge the balls between the tapering walls of the case andthe cylindrical exterior of the bar. The greater the tension exertedupon the bar the greater will be the wedging of the balls between thebar and tapering wall of the casing. The nature of this device is suchthat as the tension increases the holding force increases so that thereis no possibility of the coupling letting go until the point of rupturehas been reached.

I have shown this device as a coupling in connection with a railroadcarriage, but it will be evident that it is applicable to any conditionwherein two portions are adapted to be releasably held together. The barB may be disengaged from the coupling by pulling backward upon the lugsD against the action of the spring E. The result of this will be tocarry the ball cage and balls away from the small end of the easing intoa portion of it wherein the distance between the surface of the bar andthe wall of the casing is so great that the wedging action is no longerapparent. This, of course, will release the bar and it can then bepulled out without difficulty. I have called the device a coupling. Itis really an interlocking device.

It will be evident that many differentshapes and arrangements of theballs and casing may be employed without materially departing from thespirit of the invention.

I claim An interlocking device comprising a plurality of balls, atapering receiver for said balls and a ball cage therein holding suchballs, said cage comprising a front and rear containing plate andconnecting bars.

OLIVER P. M. SQUIRES.

lVitnesses:

MINNIE M. LINDENAN, LUCY A. FALKENBERG.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington,D. G.

